Department store restaurants in Los Angeles, with the exception of Barney Greengrass, are generally not known for their culinary prowess, much less their desirability of a place to hang out.
That all changes with Blue Stove, on the third/top floor of the new Nordstrom at Santa Monica Place, just steps from the Dining Deck and a great alternative to the large theme-y (but good) restaurants there.
Blue Stove is dark and clubby, with deep-toned woods and cushy booths perfect for private conversations. If you don’t look closely, you don’t realize that the bar is only stocked with beer and wine, as it gives off the impression of a fully array of adult beverages.
The concept is tapas/small plates that you are urged to share, but if that’s not your style, it still works out.
To start off, the menu features an array of six salads, including a delish crispy parmesan polenta and arugula arrangement, all ranging between $6-$8.
Then there are the main dishes like cilantro lime chicken tacos, lump crab cakes, spicy dark cherry glazed beef and side dishes including a yummy seared wild mushroom and grilled asparagus plate—an item that we would go back for in a flash.
The portions were adequately sized and not tiny, as our server implied by saying each person needed three or four—for lunch. That was simply not the case.
Desserts will have to wait for our next visit, but we’re already hunkering for the warm Valrhona chocolate raspberry cake.
Menu items top out at about $12, so go to town, or rather to the mall. Blue Stove is open during store hours, which on Friday and Saturday run until 10 pm.
Blue Stove Nordstrom at Santa Monica Place, 226 Broadway, (310) 752-2701
